When I started on this journey 8 years ago, I sought the advice of a local nutritionist who happened to be one of my mum’s oldest friends. If anyone could help me find answers to healing my body, I knew she could – because she runs a natural medicine business and had been through her own journey.

My mum’s friend and another nutritionist encouraged me to use more herbs and spices in my cooking in addition to things like using more olive oil and trying coconut oil. I think that adding the herbs and spices to my food every day has been very beneficial to helping achieve a well-balanced diet, and, most importantly, managing and healing from endo, as I started to get so much more variety of foods in my diet like different grains and different vegetables. It’s a great way to liven up a meal particularly when starting out on a healthy, balanced diet full of fresh wholefoods. I already enjoyed different cuisines such as Greek, Chinese, Japanese and Mexican, but experimenting with herbs and spices meant that I was introduced to even more new flavours and cuisines – over these years I’ve found that I love Persian food, Indian, Turkish and Vietnamese… So far, this has led me to travel to South East Asia and Turkey.

I initially started by adding paprika spice to, well, pretty much everything… I love cooking with it – it’s amazing with roasted vegetables or in an omelette (you can guess what recipes will be coming up next). Roasted vegetables with herbs and spices became my staple alongside my dinner. I found that staples are very important both as a university student and sticking to a healthy, balanced diet for endo. I also added oregano each day, especially to salad, along with lemon and olive oil.

There are just so many herbs and spices out there to discover that add so much depth to a meal. I’d like to talk more about the ones I love the most, why they’re good for you and how you can get these into your diet. This could take a few posts…

I’d highly recommend trying out turmeric… it’s the warm, yellow spice that gives curry it’s distinctive colour and flavour. It’s traditionally found in kitchens from Morocco to India, and has amazing health benefits. Studies have shown that turmeric is a great anti-inflammatory. So this seems perfect for endometriosis and other co-occurring conditions. I love adding turmeric to quinoa or a veggie omelette, and obviously curry. It’s also great stirred in through soups with big veggies like pumpkin or butternut squash.

Another great warm spice to add to your food each day is cinnamon. It’s great in breakfast cereals, with yoghurt, desserts such as pancakes, or even added to hot chocolate. It’s another pro anti-inflammatory and is a great alternative to sugar because it’s pretty sweet. I find that half a teaspoon is perfect.

I haven’t even mentioned basil yet – both fresh and dried – I am obsessed with basil, to say the least. It simply goes with everything…salads, fish, eggs, potatoes…oh my goodness, the options are endless.

Lemongrass became one of my favourites as I experimented with making curries at home. When I travelled to South East Asia in 2014, I brought back a few different spices including lemongrass from Cambodia. I like using the ground version but now you can also buy it fresh from many supermarkets like Waitrose and Sainsburys in the UK, Delhaize in Belgium, and Al Natura and Rewe in Germany.

Kate xx